Unos astrónomos de España lo confirman: el misterioso asteroide 2024 PT5 es en realidad un pedazo de la Luna

Inicialmente considerado una "miniluna", este objeto de 10 metros de diámetro revela su verdadera procedencia tras estudios espectroscópicos avanzados realizados por un grupo de astrónomosDe misterio a certeza: asteroide resulta ser un pedazo de la L

Basaltic quasi-mini-moon: Characterizing 2024 PT5 with the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias and the Two-meter Twin Telescope | Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A)

Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A) is an international journal which publishes papers on all aspects of astronomy and astrophysics

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On The Lunar Origin of Near-Earth Asteroid 2024 PT5

The Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) 2024 PT5 is on an Earth-like orbit which remained in Earth's immediate vicinity for several months at the end of 2024. PT5's orbit is challenging to populate with asteroids originating from the Main Belt and is more commonly associated with rocket bodies mistakenly identified as natural objects or with debris ejected from impacts on the Moon. We obtained visible and near-infrared reflectance spectra of PT5 with the Lowell Discovery Telescope and NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on 2024 August 16. The combined reflectance spectrum matches lunar samples but does not match any known asteroid types -- it is pyroxene-rich while asteroids of comparable spectral redness are olivine-rich. Moreover, the amount of solar radiation pressure observed on the PT5 trajectory is orders of magnitude lower than what would be expected for an artificial object. We therefore conclude that 2024 PT5 is ejecta from an impact on the Moon, thus making PT5 the second NEA suggested to be sourced from the surface of the Moon. While one object might be an outlier, two suggest that there is an underlying population to be characterized. Long-term predictions of the position of 2024 PT5 are challenging due to the slow Earth encounters characteristic of objects in these orbits. A population of near-Earth objects which are sourced by the Moon would be important to characterize for understanding how impacts work on our nearest neighbor and for identifying the source regions of asteroids and meteorites from this under-studied population of objects on very Earth-like orbits.

Earth's 'mini moon' may have been a chunk of our actual moon

Earth is parting company with an asteroid that's been tagging along as a “mini moon” for the past two months. The harmless space rock will peel away on Monday, overcome by the stronger tug of the sun's gravity. But it will stick around the neighborhood and pass within 1 million miles of Earth in January. Then it will zoom farther into the solar system and will not return until 2055. Discovered in August, the asteroid will be observed by NASA as it zips by next year. Scientists suspect it may be a boulder that was blasted off the moon during an asteroid impact.

Earth's 'mini moon' may have been a chunk of our actual moon

Earth is parting company with an asteroid that's been tagging along as a “mini moon” for the past two months. The harmless space rock will peel away on Monday, overcome by the stronger tug of the sun's gravity. But it will stick around the neighborhood and pass within 1 million miles of Earth in January. Then it will zoom farther into the solar system and will not return until 2055. Discovered in August, the asteroid will be observed by NASA as it zips by next year. Scientists suspect it may be a boulder that was blasted off the moon during an asteroid impact.

У Землі є «другий Місяць», споріднений з першим, — вчені

Як жартують американці, «другий Місяць» Землі не залишився на День подяки, але від

Basaltic quasi-mini-moon: Characterizing 2024 PT5 with the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias and the Two-meter Twin Telescope

Context. Small bodies in Earth-like orbits, the Arjunas, are good targets for scientific exploration, and space mining or in situ resource utilization (ISRU) trials as they enable low-cost missions. The subset of these objects that experience recurrent temporarily captured flyby or orbiter episodes are among the best ranked in terms of accessibility. Only a handful of objects are known to have engaged in such a dynamical behavior. Finding and characterizing more of them may help to expand scientific and commercial research activities in space over the next few decades. Asteroid 2024 PT5 is a recent finding that shows dynamical traits in common with this group. Aims. Here we investigate the orbital context of 2024 PT5 and its spectral and rotational properties. Methods. We studied the short-term orbital evolution of 2024 PT5 using direct N-body simulations. We identified its spectral class from the visible reflectance spectrum and used photometric observations to derive its rotational properties. Observational data were obtained with the OSIRIS camera spectrograph at the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias and the Two-meter Twin Telescope. Results. Asteroid 2024 PT5 experiences recurrent co-orbital engagements and episodes in which it has negative geocentric orbital energy while inside a geocentric distance under three Hill radii, which we call quasi-mini-moon events. Its visible spectrum is consistent with that of lunar-like silicates. Photometric data suggest a rotation period under 1 h. Conclusions. The discovery of 2024 PT5 confirms that events resembling temporary captures are relatively frequent and involve objects larger than a few meters, suitable as accessible targets for scientific research activities and demonstrating ISRU technologies.